Emin Boztepe

Martial Artist

Male

BornJul 17, 1962

Emin Boztepe is an American martial artist of Turkish origin who held German nationality prior to naturalization. He first came to prominence for his fight in 1986 with noted Wing Chun practitioner William Cheung, and he continued to gain attention in the 1990s with a public challenge of the Gracie family. He was a notable member of Leung Ting's Wing Tsun organisation until 2002, when he formed his own organisation.… Read More

TWENTIES

Emin Boztepe (born 17 June 1962) is an American martial artist of Turkish origin who held German nationality prior to naturalization. Read Less

He first came to prominence for his fight in 1986 with noted Wing Chun practitioner William Cheung, and he continued to gain attention in the 1990s with a public challenge of the Gracie family.

His fight with Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu master William Cheung in 1986, at a seminar in Germany, caused controversy in the wider Wing Chun community.
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After some financial problems occurred with his master, Kernspecht, Boztepe headed to his master's master, Leung Ting, and took special lessons from him until a financial dispute, which caused him to leave the Wing Tsun organisation. Boztepe formed his own organisation, called Emin Boztepe Martial Arts System (EBMAS), afterwards. Read Less

THIRTIES

199735 Years Old
Boztepe was romantically linked with British actress Jacqueline Bisset from 1997 until 2005.
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He is known to have dated Zeynep Urgancı, the ex-wife of Turkish businessman Mehmet Urgancı after Bisset. Read Less

FORTIES

200240 Years Old
He was a notable member of Leung Ting's Wing Tsun organisation until 2002, when he formed his own organisation.
… Read More

Boztepe was born in Eskişehir, Turkey, the second of six children. At the age of four, his family, originally from Bağlıca village of Emirdağ, moved to Germany. According to Boztepe, his early days in Germany were difficult due to his Turkish heritage—he was a constant target for racial insults and, more often than not, verbal abuse would escalate into physical abuse. Martial arts became something of a necessity and his father urged him to begin training. Boztepe recalled, "Germany was not the healthiest place for a young Turk in those days of growing racism and neo-Nazi movements." He claimed to have been in over 300 street fights, many of them a result of this period, though he also claimed to have not started any of these fights.<br /><br /> In 1976, at the age of 14, Boztepe began studying martial arts, including judo, Shotokan karate, wrestling, Muay Thai, and traditional boxing. During this period, he also fought as an amateur boxer in 16 matches and obtained a title in Muay Thai. Read Less